Commissioners are doing the people’s will

In response to Patrick Carroll’s Sept. 20 letter to the editor headlined, “Commissioners aren’t doing will of people,” I disagree.

Jodie McDaniel

To the editor:

In response to Patrick Carroll’s Sept. 20 letter to the editor headlined, “Commissioners aren’t doing will of people,” I disagree. I believe that the Onslow County commissioners are doing the will of the people — at least the people I have spoken with.

Evidently the cost overruns on the newly constructed jail are OK with him and others. That an $11 million building became $57 million building was a legacy of the previous county commissioners — I was glad when they were voted out.

Carroll, like others, would prefer a county commission that works for the City of Jacksonville first and county residents second. Also, imagine the cost overruns that would occur in building county offices in downtown Jacksonville.

And why is the city not building in the downtown area? No one wants to respond to that question. Sure there are folks writing and blogging in outrage about the county’s offices moving to Burton Park. Even the newspaper has weighed in to keep the offices in the downtown area.

I would like the current county commissioners to know that I, for one, support their decision to move the offices to the Burton Park property. I cannot even imagine the cost overruns that would occur for building downtown. There would be the added cost for flood insurance on the offices and the added cost of funding a parking deck that the City of Jacksonville probably needs, but wants someone else to pay for. The golden goose can foot the bill for their own parking deck.

If the City Council and city residents want so much to bring business back to the downtown area, there is a brewery that is requesting citizens to vote for where they should build; so City Council members and residents can hop on line and vote. Put the brewery downtown; that will increase business traffic. Maybe you can even get the brewery to change its name to the “Golden Goose Brewery.”

So hooray for the current county commissioners who kept their backbones and did not sway — you have my vote.